Tag: tips

But I’m going to tell you anyway. I probably go on a trip every two months, usually only two big/expensive trips a year and a bunch of little trips scattered in between. To many, it seems like I travel a lot. To me, it’s never enough. But I do get asked a lot how I afford to travel.

The kind of trips I take play a big part in affordability. We use Groupon to book our big and out of country trips. The hotel and flight are usually bundled with some other perk and the savings are amazing. We only do these trips once, maybe twice a year, and it’s always during winter. Last year we went to Iceland and this year we went to Portugal. If we do another big trip it will only be because I’m tagging along on one of my boyfriend’s work trips.

I don’t do a lot on the weekends that will cost me money. I know some people enjoy going to the bar with their friends on the weekends, but that’s not exactly my idea of a great time which is where I save money. Instead of dropping $50 on drinks every weekend, that money is saved and put into tiny weekend trips every month or every other month. Traveling is what I enjoy so I choose to stay in most times. The only fun activity I ever really splurge on are concert tickets.

I have a cash back card. I get 1% back on purchases and 1% back when I pay. I take the money I earn from that and use it as spending cash when I’m actually on my trip.

I have two savings accounts. I put money away every month. One savings account is for the future – for a new car, new home, in case of extreme emergencies. The other savings account is for trips, things I want to buy in the future, and extra cash for my checking account which I use to pay my rent, bills, etc.

How I can afford to travel isn’t all that glamorous. I don’t make a lot of money, I don’t have a fancy book of budgeting, I don’t have a top secret website that scores me the best deals. I prioritize what I want to spend money on in my life and then I plan to get the best price – but it works for me so maybe it will work for you too!

Even trips where you’re winging it require some kind of plan. You never know when the bus you bought tickets for will get delayed and leave you with no ride to the airport (cough, cough, Greyhound).

2. Don’t overpack

Carry ons are really all you need. I usually bring a few pieces I can swap around and create new outfits out of.

3. Don’t forget the do not disturb sign

I don’t know about you guys, but the one thing I hate about hotels is always being intruded on – which is why I prefer airbnb’s. Someone is always knocking to clean or calling to ask something and I just want to be alone!

4. Don’t glue yourself to your phone

My favorite part about going out of the country is only having wifi when I’m chilling in the hotel. I don’t really preach putting your phone down often, but it’s nice when you’re on vacation to enjoy the moment and the people you’re with.

5. Don’t take pictures of everything

Yes, everything is amazing and DO take photos. I have a pretty bad memory so I can usually look back at one photo and get an amazing reminder of a whole day. But you don’t want to travel through a lens. There are plenty of things to do that aren’t instagram worthy or that you can just keep for yourself.

Overthinking won’t help the situation.
I can calm my hectic brain by coloring, journaling, cleaning, etc. But I always let overthinking get the best of me.

Always take your PTO as much as possible.Take it and use it for something fun. Unfortunately, dentist appointments and car problems often end up being the reasons I take off instead of fun.

Don’t try to drink as much as you did in college.
The hangovers are real and I am often reminded how little I actually like drinking. You don’t have to keep up with people or get drunk just to have fun.

It’s okay to just do nothing.Not every day has to be the most exciting day of your life, no matter how much fomo you feel from seeing others doing fun things on social media.

It’s okay to be alone.It’s okay to do things alone, to be single, to need alone time.

Accept help from others.I know you want to, but you just can’t do it all on your own.

Meditation or some form of de-stressing works.If you know what works for you, then do it. Don’t put things off or completely shut down from stress if you can avoid it.

Helping others can help yourself.Sometimes you just get too wrapped up in yourself, helping others may help to clear your head.

There’s always something to be grateful for.Even when it doesn’t seem like it, you can be grateful that you just made it to work that day or you have a job or that you’re breathing.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.You are not the only person who doesn’t have life figured out, no one has life figured out. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

It’s okay to take a couple of extra napkins, sweeteners, plastic utensils, etc. from a fast food place to stock up your own kitchen.
But it’s probably not okay to steal toilet paper from restaurant bathrooms.

Almost never take PTO for something that doesn’t make you happy.Seriously, taking precious time off to get a cavity filled or to clean your house is not a good use of time.

Savings accounts are what dreams are made of.
Stop opening credit cards you can’t pay off and start saving and collecting interest.

Travel or do SOMETHING that breaks up the monotony.
I know not everyone likes to travel, but don’t be afraid to throw some money at fun activities that will make the work week a little easier.

Take full advantage of whatever your parents offer you.
Never say no. Do I want to take home some of the banana bread you’re making? Yupp. If grandma wants to give me $20, am I gonna say no? Nope.

Speaking of parents, don’t feel rushed to move out.
I thought all I needed in life was to move out, but life at home is a lot easier and a lot cheaper. Really all I need in life is my mom.

Don’t take it too seriously.A job is a job, it is not your whole entire life. Make happiness a priority. If you really sit and put things into perspective, think about all the things you can accomplish and all the things to see, you don’t have to stress hard about anything that is not adding anything to your life.

When you’re in a not-so-great place, it is not easy to find five things that will cheer you up. But as you grow, you begin to add to that list. You find more and more things that help put you in the direction you want to be in. The direction of happiness.

Here are five things that made me a happier person when I was a not so happy person. And here are six things that make me a happier person now that I am in a better place:

Celebrating every little thingWe accomplish things on a daily basis and those things should be recognized. You and the people you surround yourself should be proud of everything that you work for. So if you got a raise at work, or hit a goal you’ve been working towards, or just got out of bed today – pop a bottle of champagne because you deserve it.

Writing down what I’m grateful forEvery day I write 10 things I am grateful for in what I call my gratitude journal. Sometimes it’s not easy to come up with 10, sometimes it is. It really makes me reflect on the great things I have in my life.

Picking up an activity that clears your mind
This should be something you can do alone. Get a coloring book. Read a book. I recently started going to yoga classes, but now I can try and practice that alone at home as well.

Setting achievable and reach goals
Ever since I started writing down what I want to achieve, I started accomplishing more. It’s easy to accomplish something like “change my hair in the month of January” and I still feel the reward. It’s a little harder to accomplish things like “get a raise at work” but writing it down will get you there.

Letting go of the things I can’t change for people
I used to feel guilty, a lot, because I’m introverted and often just don’t enjoy going out every weekend or making non stop plans. I am starting to put things into perspective where that’s a part of me that doesn’t need to change and everyone just needs to accept it.

A positive mindset
It seems so simple, but we go into most things negatively whether we mean to or not. Do you want to be happier this year? Then think happy thoughts as often as you can.

In one week (ah!!) I will finally be on my way to Iceland. I spontaneously booked this trip 6 months ago and can’t believe it’s actually happening.

Anyway, I’m looking for tips, tricks, and advice from anyone that’s been there. We will be staying in Reykjavik and already have a tour planned to see the Northern Lights, Blue Lagoon, and black sand beaches. But I’d love for any suggestions inside the city or in walking distance of where things are centrally located (idk where things are centrally located, but I assume that is where I’m staying).

Any suggestions for places to eat or things to shop for would be great! Also advice on packing, Iceland in general, etc. is welcome!

I’m headed to Washington DC this weekend – so excited! For any of you that have been following my bucket lists, this one has been a goal for a while.

I plan on doing a lot of the touristy things because I haven’t been there in a while. But please let me know of any good brunch places/restaurants/or bars that you enjoy going to! I’m a huge foodie and huge brunch person so I need all the recommendations I can get! 🙂

And if you have any other suggestions of what to do throughout the day, I’m all ears.